Our meeting with Tetsuro Shimaguchi, samurai artist and choreographer of Kill Bill’s Crazy 88 scene, special guest of Comicon 2023.
Samurai Artistthis is the definition with which he presents himself to us participants in the Comicon 2023 Tetsuro Shimaguchiknown for having been the choreographer of the spectacular sequence of the 88 Folli of Kill Bill: Volume 1. It is precisely on the choreographic front that we were able to appreciate the Japanese master in Naples: in a unique and exciting show – which blends techniques and evolutions of the sword with dance – repeated and reworked in a different key in the following days, when he also accompanied the performance by Mika Kobayashi. The performance was held on the stage of Comicon’s Asian Village, incorporating Shimaguchi’s choreography with those of his Kamui company in the service of the powerful and crystalline voice of the singer known for the theme song of The attack of the Giants.
La video intervista a Tetsuro Shimaguchi
The spirit of the samurai
Our passion for Japan and its traditions she was invigorated by witnessing Shigamuchi’s splendid performance with Kamui’s members on stage in the Auditorium, marveling at the beauty of an original and difficult to define art. For this reason it is precisely to sensei that we asked how she tells and promotes her activity: “I am a Samurai Artist” He told us, “not only in terms of performance, but to communicate with people from all over the world through the sword. The samurai is not a warrior, he defends loved ones and family, it is a spiritual education. I am trying to work with all my strength to pass on to the next generations everything that has been handed down to us from the past.”
In the service of Quentin Tarantino
An art therefore linked to the tradition of one’s own country, which flows into the cinema when situations such as that of Kill Billwhose sequence of the 88 Folli is considered among the most spectacular martial arts in cinema. “The director only cared a lot about some of the moments in that scene” he explained when we asked him how much freedom he had in constructing the choreography, “everything else we were free to construct as we thought best. Tarantino had given freedom to almost all the actors and respected the will of each actor.”
A spectacular sequence that also draws on the Chinese martial arts tradition. “Within Kill Bill there are both Japanese and Chinese influences. The more properly spectacular part is close to the Chinese style of choreography, while the more impactful and positional parts are closer to the Japanese spirit. Tarantino has used both respecting them .”
Premeditated Murder: The Genesis of Kill Bill
Tamaguchi e Napoli
Tetsuro Shimaguchi’s presence in Naples coincided with a very particular moment for the city, with the possibility of a championship party, which was later postponed until the following Sunday. We talked about it with the sensei intrigued by his Instagram images of him at the Maradona Stadium. “I really like football and Napoli is also very famous in Japan. My idol was Maradona, but also Careca, and I think that today’s Napoli players respect the history of the team. I wish these days were wonderful for the people Neapolitan, because it’s a very exciting city and I hope it wins. I’d like to come there every year.”
